The invention pertains to insulated containers. More specifically it relates to insulated containers having externally accessible receptacles for holding objects such as, for example, beverage or foodstuff containers.
Portable insulated cases can be used for temporarily storing containerized drinks or foods, or other products that may benefit from a cooled or warmed environment, such as some medicinal products, film, or other temperature sensitive materials. Insulated containers that are easily transportable are known and can be used for a variety of purposes. Included are containers which are designed for temporary storage of food, drink or other products for use in connection with personal travel, day trips, outings, and other similar activities where, for example a drink or meal supply, or other good, needs to be kept cool or warm for some period of time, typically several hours.
Cases or containers in this regard include soft-walled coolers. Notably, although commonly and conveniently referred to as coolers, many insulated xe2x80x9ccoolersxe2x80x9d are also suited for maintaining the warmth of diverse objects, within a reasonable temperature range such as may be suitable, for example, for human handling. In a typical cooling application, an insulated enclosure, container, or casing, is provided with a low temperature thermal storage medium, such as by ice cubes or so-called ice bricks positioned within the cooler to assist in maintaining a lower temperature within the cooler than is typically present outside of the cooler. The cooler is exposed to outside or ambient temperatures such as room temperature, or some higher temperature environment, such as may be encountered during summer months, for example. Typically, these types of coolers function solely as a vehicle for storage of drink and food products within the enclosure volume provided within the walls of the cooler. Once the item to be consumed is removed from the inside volume of the cooler, the cooler ceases to have any designed function in connection with the items to be consumed. For example, once the item to be consumed is removed from the container, it. is no longer influenced by the cooling function provided by the cooler.
An advantage can be gained by creating a situation in which, a cooler can continue to provide the opportunity for positive interaction between the cooler and food, beverage or other item such as a containerized drink after it has been removed from the cooler. To that end, it would be advantageous to have an insulated container, whether for cooling or warming, that permits a user to remove an item to be consumed, such as a cold drink, to open that object and to consume some of it. However, when only a portion of the object has been consumed, it would be advantageous to have a place, such as a beverage container receptacle, where the partially consumed object may be placed pending further depletion of its contents. Further still, rather than have the object to be consumed either warm up or cool down from its desired temperature, it would be advantageous to be able to delay, or prevent, or reduce the rate of, heat gain or heat loss from the initial temperature.
A container having an externally accessible receptacle for holding a beverage container once it has been opened may have one or more of the desired advantages noted above. However, beverages such as might be seated in the externally accessible receptacle may tend to spill. Carbonated soda beverages, juices, hot chocolate, coffee, or tea, once spilled, may dry and leave a sticky or gummy residue. It may not be desirable for spillage to enter the main body of the enclosure, and hence a leak catching, or water tight receptacle may tend to be preferred. Also, since the receptacle may not always be in use, and whether or not one carries beverages or other objects are carried in the main body of an insulated container or enclosure, there may be occasions when it would be advantageous to use the space usually occupied by the receptacle for carrying objects internally. To that end, it would be advantageous to employ a receptacle that can be collapsed, folded, deflected, or otherwise placed in a relatively less obtrusive position, such as a storage position, than when occupied by, for example, a beverage container.
While it is helpful of itself to deter spills from entering the main body of the container, once the receptacle itself has accumulated a number of such spills, and those spills have dried, in whole or in part, it would be helpful to be able to remove the receptacle for washing. It would also be advantageous to be able to replace a punctured or otherwise damaged receptacle with a replacement part, or to replace a receptacle of one size with a receptacle of a different size or shape. For example, a receptacle for receiving a rectangular container, such as a drinking box, may be replaced with a round receptacle for a bottle or a canned drink.
For the purposes of cooling, or heating an object, such as a beverage, located in a receptacle, it would be advantageous under some conditions for the heat or cold source to be in close contact with the receptacle, thereby shortening the heat transfer path. It may also be advantageous, in the case of cooling, to have a cold source suspended within the larger enclosure, rather than sitting on the bottom panel.
When an externally accessible receptacle is not in use, it may be advantageous to provide a covering to deter unwanted objects from entering the receptacle, and also to discourage undesired heat transfer between the external ambient and the internal enclosed space of the container through the receptacle. It may also be advantageous to provide an external cover, or shield, to shade or shroud that portion of an object that may protrude from the externally accessible receptacle. It may further be advantageous to provide either more than one size of receptacle, or a receptacle that can accommodate more than one size of object.
An insulated soft-sided portable case having one or more externally accessible receptacles is provided. A plurality of panels define an insulated enclosure which retards heat transfer and which is adapted to receive cold drinks and foods and cooling sources such as ice cubes, cooling bricks, and the like. A top panel of the portable insulated container has at least one, opening therethrough, and a receptacle is positioned with respect to the opening so that the receptacle is accessible from the outside of the portable insulated case; that is, the user can place an item such as a containerized cold drink within the receptacle without having to open the portable insulated case. This externally accessible receptacle is thus adapted to function as a holder for the containerized drink and the like. It also projects well into the enclosed volume of the container. As such, the portable insulated case functions as a convenient and secure location for holding an opened drink without spilling it, while at the same time keeping a cold containerized drink cool.
In another aspect of the invention there is a collapsible insulated container. The container is moveable to an expanded position in which the container has an insulated space defined therewithin. The container has a container wall, an opening defined in the wall, and a receptacle mounted to extend inwardly of the wall into a portion of the insulated space. The receptacle is located to permit an object seated therein to protrude outwardly of the container through the opening. The container has a closure that is openable to give access to another portion of the insulated space.
In an additional feature of that aspect of the invention, the container is collapsible to a storage position, and the receptacle is collapsible within the container in the storage position. In a further additional feature to that additional feature, the container is a portable, soft-sided container having a top panel. The opening is defined in the top panel. In the expanded position the receptacle is mounted to, and depends from, the top panel; and, the receptacle is water tight. In a still further additional feature of that aspect of the invention, the receptacle is at least partially removable from the top panel and is washable. And, in a still further additional feature of that aspect of the invention, the container has a member for covering the opening when the receptacle is empty.
In another aspect of the invention, there is an insulated container having a container wall and an insulated space defined therewithin. The wall has an opening defined therein. A receptacle is mounted to extend inwardly of the wall into the space, the receptacle being positioned to permit an object seated therein to protrude through the opening outwardly of the container. The receptacle, when empty, is moveable to an out-of-use position.
In an additional feature of that aspect of the invention the receptacle is at least partially collapsible, and in the out-of-use position, the receptacle is in an at least partially collapsed condition. In another additional feature of that aspect of the invention, at least a portion of the receptacle is capable of movement to a deflected position, and, in the out of use position, the portion of the receptacle is in the deflected position. In another additional feature of that aspect of the invention, the receptacle has, in use, a cylindrical sidewall extending inwardly of the wall of the container, and the sidewall is resilient. In yet another additional feature of that aspect of the invention, the receptacle has, in use, a cylindrical sidewall extending inwardly of the wall of the container, and the sidewall is formed from a pliable membrane.
In a still further additional feature of that aspect of the invention, the receptacle has a means for urging objects introduced into the receptacle to a centered position. In a further additional feature of that additional feature, the receptacle has a cylindrical sidewall extending inwardly of the wall of the container, the sidewall having a distal end relative to the wall of the container, and the means includes a base member of the receptacle mounted at the distal end of the sidewall, the base member having a concentrically contoured seat. In an alternative additional feature of that additional feature, the receptacle has a cylindrical sidewall extending inwardly of the wall of the container, and the means includes a resilient member mounted in a position to intercept objects as they are introduced into the receptacle, and the resilient member is positioned to exert a radially centering force on the objects. In an additional feature of that alternative additional feature, the resilient member is a resilient circumferential band mounted about the sidewall. In a further alternative additional feature of that additional feature, the container includes at least three resilient fingers mounted to obstruct objects introduced into the receptacle; each of the fingers is movable to a deflected position by an object introduced into the receptacle, and, in the deflected position, each of the fingers exerts a radially inward force on the object to urge it to a radially centered position relative to the cylindrical sidewall.
In another alternative feature of that additional feature of that aspect of the invention, the receptacle has a resilient sidewall extending, inwardly of the wall of the container. The sidewall is capable of deflection when contacted by an object introduced into the receptacle. When deflected by the object, the sidewall being capable of exerting a force radially inward relative to the receptacle. In an additional feature of that additional feature, the sidewall includes a pre-stressed elastomer.
In another additional feature of that aspect of the invention, the container wall includes a hard shell member, the opening is defined in the hard shell member, and the receptacle is mounted to the hard-shell member. In another additional feature of that aspect of the invention, the receptacle has a member for obstructing the opening when the receptacle is empty. In a still further additional feature of that aspect of the invention, the receptacle has a door located to obstruct the opening when the receptacle is empty, and the door is operable to open when engaged by an object to be introduced into the receptacle. In an additional feature of that additional feature, the door is biased toward a closed position.
In a yet further additional feature of that aspect of the invention, the container includes a cover attached to the container and moveable to overlie the receptacle. In an alternative additional feature of that aspect of the invention, the container has a sheltering member mounted to extend externally of the opening to shelter an object protruding from the receptacle through the opening. In an additional feature of that additional feature, the sheltering member is a shroud mounted to the container and moveable to a position overlying the opening. In a still further additional feature of that additional feature, the shroud member includes a collar and a drawstring for urging the collar to engage an object protruding from the receptacle.
In yet another additional feature of that aspect of the invention, the container is collapsible. In a still further additional feature of that aspect of the invention, the container includes a cover for the receptacle, and the receptacle and the cover have a pair of mating retainer elements, the retainer elements being engageable to hold the receptacle in the out-of-use position. In an additional feature of that additional feature, the receptacle has a pliable cylindrical sidewall mounted to extend inwardly of the wall of the container, and a base member attached to the sidewall at a distal end thereof. One of the pair of mating retainer elements is mounted to the cover, the other is mounted to the base, and in the out-of-use position the sidewall is collapsed and the base member is located adjacent the cover.
In a still further additional feature of that aspect of the invention, the container has a top panel, a bottom panel, and a sidewall panel extending thearebetween, and the opening is defined in the sidewall panel. In an additional feature of that additional feature, the opening is defined in the sidewall adjacent to the bottom panel whereby, in use, an object introduced into the receptacle is supported by the bottom panel.
In a further aspect of the invention, there is an insulated container having a container wall and an insulated space defined therewithin. The wall has an opening defined therein. A receptacle is mounted to extend inwardly of the wall into the space, the receptacle being positioned to permit an object seated therein to protrude through the opening outwardly of the container. The receptacle has a thermal storage medium mounted thereto.
In an additional feature of that aspect of the invention, the thermal storage medium is a cooling pack element for providing cooling. In another additional feature of that aspect of the invention, the receptacle has a sidewall extending from the wall of the container, and a distal end. The thermal storage medium is a cooling pack element in the form of a puck mounted to the distal end of the well. In another additional feature of that aspect of the invention, the receptacle has a sidewall extending inwardly from the wall of the container, and the thermal storage medium is a cooling pack element extending about at least a portion of the sidewall.
These and other aspects, features and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from and clearly understood through a consideration of the following detailed description.